Let’s talk air fryers …. It has been something I have avoided for a long time!
Did I really need one? Where they worth the money? Where they really as good as everyone said? Did I have the space in my kitchen?
Well, I’ve finally succumbed, and my verdict is that I like it!
Yes, I could live without it, but it has simplified some of our dinners and it has enabled my teens to get more creative in the kitchen. It is great if you are cooking for 1 or if you want to reheat something and it makes the best crispy chicken and, with Valentine’s Day around the corner, can be used to make a simple romantic dinner that the whole family will enjoy!
So here is how you can use your air fryer to make my cute Cupid’s pizzas and my delicious, Valentine brownies!
To make 4 bases – you can freeze for another day if you don’t need it all
•325 ml luke – warm water
•7 g dried yeast
•½ tbsp soft brown sugar
•500 g white bread flour
•½ tsp fine sea-salt
•2 tbsp olive oil
1- In a jug, mix the yeast and sugar with the water – leave for a couple of minutes (the temperature of the water is important … a good lesson in science!)
2- Put the flour in a large bowl (I use my kitchen aid); add the salt and oil
3- Pour in the dissolved yeast solution
4- Knead until you have a smooth springy dough (at least 5 minutes by machine)
5- Place the ball of dough in a dusted bowl; sprinkle flour on top and cover with a damp cloth. Put somewhere warm for about an hour (you want the dough to double in size)
6- Once the dough has doubled in size, remove the dough from the bowl and knead on a dusted surface – you are trying to push the air out of it (you can pop in the fridge – or freezer- at this point if you don’t want to make the pizzas straight away)
7- Divide the dough into 4 balls and roll out to form your bases– they are best left to rest for ten minutes before topping
8- Put the bases on to the heart shaped grease proof paper and top with your toppings (I used a simple tomato sauce of passata mixed with garlic granules and dried basil, Parma ham, mozzarella and black olives)
9- Air fry for 7 minutes at 190
10- I finished mine off with a chefy sprig of basil!
• 100g dark chocolate (broken into chunks)
• 100g unsalted butter
• 100g chocolate chips
• 100g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 40g cocoa powder
• 70g plain flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 100g chocolate chips
• 5 strawberries (halved)
• Icing sugar (to dust!)
1- Preheat your air fryer to 160°C
2- Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave (30 seconds should be long enough)
3- In a large bowl, whisk the 2 eggs with the sugar and vanilla extract
4- Stir in the melted chocolate
5- Add the flour, cocoa powder, pinch of salt and the chocolate chips and fold to combine
6- Pour the mixture into your lined tin and place in the air fryer basket
7- Cook for 20 minutes
8- Once cooled, decorate with your halved strawberries and a dusting of icing sugar
Let’s talk air fryers …. It has been something I have avoided for a long time!
Did I really need one? Where they worth the money? Where they really as good as everyone said? Did I have the space in my kitchen?
Well, I’ve finally succumbed, and my verdict is that I like it!
Yes, I could live without it, but it has simplified some of our dinners and it has enabled my teens to get more creative in the kitchen. It is great if you are cooking for 1 or if you want to reheat something and it makes the best crispy chicken and, with Valentine’s Day around the corner, can be used to make a simple romantic dinner that the whole family will enjoy!
So here is how you can use your air fryer to make my cute Cupid’s pizzas and my delicious, Valentine brownies!
To make 4 bases – you can freeze for another day if you don’t need it all
•325 ml luke – warm water
•7 g dried yeast
•½ tbsp soft brown sugar
•500 g white bread flour
•½ tsp fine sea-salt
•2 tbsp olive oil
1- In a jug, mix the yeast and sugar with the water – leave for a couple of minutes (the temperature of the water is important … a good lesson in science!)
2- Put the flour in a large bowl (I use my kitchen aid); add the salt and oil
3- Pour in the dissolved yeast solution
4- Knead until you have a smooth springy dough (at least 5 minutes by machine)
5- Place the ball of dough in a dusted bowl; sprinkle flour on top and cover with a damp cloth. Put somewhere warm for about an hour (you want the dough to double in size)
6- Once the dough has doubled in size, remove the dough from the bowl and knead on a dusted surface – you are trying to push the air out of it (you can pop in the fridge – or freezer- at this point if you don’t want to make the pizzas straight away)
7- Divide the dough into 4 balls and roll out to form your bases– they are best left to rest for ten minutes before topping
8- Put the bases on to the heart shaped grease proof paper and top with your toppings (I used a simple tomato sauce of passata mixed with garlic granules and dried basil, Parma ham, mozzarella and black olives)
9- Air fry for 7 minutes at 190
10- I finished mine off with a chefy sprig of basil!
• 100g dark chocolate (broken into chunks)
• 100g unsalted butter
• 100g chocolate chips
• 100g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 40g cocoa powder
• 70g plain flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 100g chocolate chips
• 5 strawberries (halved)
• Icing sugar (to dust!)
1- Preheat your air fryer to 160°C
2- Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave (30 seconds should be long enough)
3- In a large bowl, whisk the 2 eggs with the sugar and vanilla extract
4- Stir in the melted chocolate
5- Add the flour, cocoa powder, pinch of salt and the chocolate chips and fold to combine
6- Pour the mixture into your lined tin and place in the air fryer basket
7- Cook for 20 minutes
8- Once cooled, decorate with your halved strawberries and a dusting of icing sugar
